Catching the Train to Radical Practice
Katherine's comment to Scott's post on Schools 2.0 made a mental connection for me, when she noted that she was "ready to jump on board when the train to the future comes by."
My connection starts with The Cluetrain Manifesto. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It was written originally for the worlds of business, marketing, and advertising, but has been "remixed" for education as well.
The central premise is that conversations, networked conversations, are both a new medium and a critical change agent. Conversations just like this one, just like all of those which happen daily on the BWP blog. We are a community of practice, which by definition then has a radical mission.
This journal article taught me that such networking can be and is radical practice.
posted by Pete Smith @ 11/25/2006 10:13:00 PM
5 Comments:
At 11/26/2006 7:31 PM,
Scott S. Floyd said…
This is exactly what makes edubloggers so dangerous (smile). There are so many great minds in education that get silenced within the system because of the status quo. Blogs turn into a global sounding board for these ideas that in turn generate ideas that some use for presentations and keynotes that ultimately lead to change in some schools. It has done wonders for me as a change agent. I can now back up my ideas with case studies based on what other schools have done. It has made a dramatic change in my thinking as an educator and the possibilities for what my students should be doing regularly. If I can just present that same information to my fellow teachers and create the same urgency I feel and know is there, then our students will be the better for it. They will be prepared for the world that awaits them.
I will be reading the articles you cited. I am sure they will strike a chord with me which will generate another post for this blog. So...look out.
Thanks for the post!
At 12/10/2006 8:08 AM,
Katherine said…
Thanks Pete for sharing your mental connection. I looked over Cluetrain and will need time to digest it. One thing about keeping up with up with bloggers and internet junkies is that people who need time to reflect, slow processors like me, feel intimidated. I've learned to accept my processing quirks and patiently wait for the connections to come through, but I think many people give up on themselves too quickly or worried they will appear 'lacking. Now I realize that that the "high speed" processors, like Scott, may get frustrated with us, but I think many are willing to double back occasionally to make sure we're still following along the path. If they don't they'll find themsleves somewhere in future without interesting people like me!!!! I appreciate the fact that Pete and Scott are doing that right here on BWPB! kat
At 12/10/2006 8:10 AM,
Katherine said…
Hey, sometimes my punctuation and/or editing doesn't come through when I post. It drives me crazy!
At 12/19/2006 9:29 AM,
Scott S. Floyd said…
We're there for you. Have a great holiday!
At 12/24/2006 9:45 AM,
Pete Smith said…
I loved Katherine's comment about reflection and processing speed--so true! In fact, I don't put my speed anywhere near that of Scott, who is way ahead of me most times!
I have been thinking about reflective practice recently; partly as a way of referencing that, but also as a nod to Barbara Ganley in general, here is one of her posts recently that, as always, mesmerized me:
http://mt.middlebury.edu/middblogs/ganley/bgblogging/2006/11/context_transitions_and_tradit.html
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